The present invention relates to an electrical portable broiler. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable device for cooking food items from above to allow the food to drip away from the heating element. Specifically, the present invention relates to an electrical-style broiler sized to be portable, safe, and occupy minimal space, while still providing an additional cooking surface area for use as an electric griddle.
Currently, there are broilers or ovens for which to heat food items, as well as portable grills for use in camping or tailgating activities. These portable food-heating devices are of a grill-type structure where the heating element is underneath the items to be cooked. Some of these are supplied by electrical means and some by natural gas. However, inasmuch as the heating element is placed below the item to be cooked, the food tends to drip down onto the flame or heating element which generates an immediate scorching flame which jumps up towards the food for a fraction of a second. This is not only a dangerous situation from a safety standpoint, but the food itself tends to be seared or burned unevenly resulting in uneven blackened portions of the food.
Additionally, the existing portable grills use a direct flame to heat the food and are either permanently open to the elements, or have a lid which releases a majority of the heat when opened. This provides a huge variance in the temperature output and overall cooking experience. Furthermore, the existing portable grills provide an overall heating footprint which is entirely occupied by the gridiron or grilling surface. Existing grills also occupy an entire table or truck tail gate, with no room for other foods or tailgating items. Thus, if a user wishes to cook additional food, the user must wait until the food on the grilling surface is done first before this additional food can be cooked.
Thus, a need exists in the art to provide a portable style food preparation and heating unit which prevents or neutralizes the problem of the food dripping onto the heating element. The need also exists for cooking food via an alternative to a direct flame. Further, the need also exists to provide an additional cooking surface area for use as an electric griddle without occupying the primary grilling area.